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We all know what they say about change: It’s the only constant in life. Realizing this is true is the easy part. Accepting change, especially when it disrupts the way we work or how we live our lives, is a whole different ball game.
But companies cannot grow and thrive in an ultra-competitive marketplace without embracing change. It’s the only way to keep up.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s okay (or beneficial) to force change upon your employees and teams, no matter how dire the need. When change is unwelcome or introduced without preamble, people will resist it.
An online poll conducted by a consultancy company found that only 38% of employees will willingly leave their comfort zones.
The majority either don’t like change or will only leave their comfort zones occasionally -- which is why it’s critical that business leaders approach organizational change armed with a solid change management plan.
Change management refers to the systems and approaches used for supporting people before, during, and after an organizational change. The end goal is to reap the benefits such changes are expected to bring while minimizing the negative effects of the disruption.
The change management process applies to several types of organizational change:
Change management models are frameworks that guide organizations when navigating and managing change in the workplace. Many models exist, but the following are among the most popular:
Developed by American social psychologist Kurt Lewin, this organizational change management theory follows a simple and practical three-step process for handling change in general.
Before you can remold an ice cube into a sphere or some other shape, it first has to melt -- in other words, you’ll have to unfreeze it. Many employees don’t like change. At this stage of the process, your goal is to prepare them for change.
Communicate how old procedures, structures, and thought processes -- the status quo, essentially -- are hindering the company from achieving growth, becoming competitive, and maintaining profitability.
The more they understand the rationale behind the change, the more they know how it benefits them, then the more likely they are to cooperate.
Once people have been “unfrozen” from old beliefs and systems, they’re ready to proceed to the next step -- the changing, also called the moving or transitioning phase. It’s when the actual change process occurs. Employees learn new methods and procedures.
They adopt new ways of thinking and behaving. As this stage is rife with uncertainty, fear, stress, and worry, communication and employee support are extremely vital.
The freezing -- sometimes called refreezing -- stage is when the change finally becomes part of employees’ “new normal.” This final step is critical because without reinforcement, people may go back to their old habits, systems, and ways of thinking.
McKinsey’s 7-S framework was first introduced in the 1970s and “maps a constellation of interrelated factors that influence an organization’s ability to change.” It was developed to help organizations that know something has to change but aren’t sure exactly what yet.
The 7-S represent these organizational elements, which companies must reference to diagnose and understand where change is necessary:
Each element is equally important and valuable. When using the 7-S model to diagnose an organization, all the elements must work together and align with one another.
This change model is the product of Harvard professor and renowned management consultant John Kotter, who’s spent four decades observing leaders and organizations. One of the most widely implemented change management theories, Kotter’s model follows eight steps to emphasize that change isn’t quick or easy:
ADKAR is a change methodology based on best practices and provides a “helpful framework for discussing change.” It uncovers the root cause of employees’ inability to change and focuses on integrating change into the organization’s project management processes.
Created by Jeff Hiatt, the founder of Prosci, a change management consulting company, ADKAR is an acronym for:
Implementing organizational change is no easy feat -- hence, the necessity of a proven framework to get your company to the state you want it to be.
The above theories of change management are just a few from a list of many. You can choose one or mix and match elements from multiple models, but the objective remains the same: institute change and make it last.
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